Great Brittany Part 2

 What better way to start the week than with a trip to the beach? With the sun shining it was an easy decision to make the 4 mile drive to our nearest beach - the Plage de Tronoen. On the way we stopped to look at the calvary next to the small chapel, Notre-Dame de Tronoën. A calvary is a religious monument topped with a cross. This one is the oldest in Brittany and dates from between 1450 and 1470. The retangular base was topped with a carved freeze illustrating biblical stories. Orginally it would have been brightly painted but time and weather have eroded the stonework making some of the features and faces indistinct, but its still a remarkable piece of religious art.

The Calvary at Tronoen

After a brief viewing we carried on and parked the car behind some high dunes. A path led through to a glorious empty beach, about four miles long, overlooking the Bay of Audierne. Dotted along the beach were the remains of various concrete blockhouses a tangible reminder of the German occupation of the region in the second world war.

Beach life

These fortifications were part of the 'Atlantic Wall' and further up the coast the German army built a pebble crushing plant to harness the raw materials of the beach to build these blockhouses. We walked for a mile or more along the beach, watching fisherman casting nets at the edge of the shoreline, (presumably for shrimp). Then we walked back through the dunes dotted with wild flowers returning to the car with our lungs full of sea air. Just a short distance south was a small headland called Pointe de la Torche. There was a small surf school here and a path that lead out onto the promontary. Close to the tip was a dolmen that has been dated to 6000 BC. 

Surfers catching some waves

The 8000 year old dolmen at Point de la Torche

The lighthouses of Saint Pierre

After a walk around the headland we continud to explore the coast heading further south to the seaside village of Saint Pierre. On the tip of the coast, Saint Pierre has three lighthouses. The first lighthouse was built in 1837 and is currently being restored so was covered in scaffolding. The 'new' lighthouse to replace it was built in 1897 and is called Phare d'Eckmühl - named after a donor who helped pay for its construction. Its now also been decommisioned but classed as a historic monument and a newer lighthouse of less architectural significance now operates. 

Lunchtime was approaching fast so we decided to drop in at a local supermarket on the way back to our gite, grab some bread and cheese and have a simple lunch. Later on that afternoon I ventured out to explore a bit more of the coast heading further north to see the remains of the German built pebble crushing plant at Tréguennec. All that is left now from a large industrial site incrongruosly located in the dunes, are 2 giant hoppers and an 8 meter high loading platform for a railway line that transported materials away from the site. In what is now a tranquil setting it was somewhat sobering to be reminded of the war time occupation and the impact it had on even this quiet corner of Brittany.

The remains of a pebble crushing plant at Tréguennec

After coffee, toast and some of the kiwi jam provided by our hosts we set out the next morning to visit Quimper but also on the lookout for a pharmacy. Unfortunately a number of mosquitos had got into our bedroom the previous night and decided to feast on Mrs B. A helpful pharmasist provided a cream to sooth the bites and we bought some insect repellant to try and keep the beasties away. 

Quimper has a compact old centre dominated by a twin spired cathedral thats a bit wonky. As you walk down the nave you can see a dstinct curve to the left.

The Cathedral at Quimper

After a quick walk around the cathedral we ambled through the streets of Quimper which was typically Breton in character, full of half timbered and stone houses and quaint cobbled streets sitting on the banks of the Odet River. 

Quimper Cathedral

Views of Quimper

We found the market hall - one of my pleasures when travelllng is wandering around the local food markets. I love seeing the different foods and absorbing the aromas. The market in Quimper was busy with lots of local people food shopping but we resisted the temptation to join them as it was morning and we couldn't be sure we could keep any fresh food cool enough throughout the day. Besides which we'd already packed a picnic for later. After a couple of hours we concluded we had seen all we wanted to in Quimper and set off for our next destination, Pointe du Raz. This western facing headland is almost the most westerly point in mainland France and is a popular destination. Its a bit like Land End in Cornwall but nowhere near as tacky. Near the large car park is a semi circular building housing various bars/restaurants and gift shops and next to this is a stone built information centre. Nothing is too obstrusive and in any case the real draw is the scenery reached by a network of paths heading around and across the headland.

Choosing the central path across a flat gorse and heather covered landscape, interspered with other wild flowers and plenty of moths and butterlies we walked towards the tip of the point and halfway found a perfect spot to have a picnic lunch with panoramic sea views. 

Pointe du Raz

Close to where the rocks meet the sea is a lookout station set above an old chapel and just beyond a statue dedidated to 'Notre-Dame des Naufragés' (Our lady of the shipwrecks). A sign at the lookout station made it clear that the lookout station was a military installation and photography would be a breach of various articles of the French penal code. I took a few photos of the statue with the lookout station in the background. By the time anyone reads this I may be wanted for questioning....

Our lady of the shipwrecks...and a lookout station

The views at the end of the point were beautiful but this was a calm day. At other times of the year this can be a treachorous coastline. An island out to sea had been used to build a lighthouse - a quite remarkable feat of engineering and construction.

Point Du Raz

We followed a different path back and arrived at the information centre which had an interesting series of display panels containing local history, information on how the coastline had been used by man and the very controversial plan in 1978 to build a nuclear power plant nearby. The local community fiercely resisted the plans. Demonstrations, often led by women, resulted in sometimes violent clashes with the police. Eventually the campaign to resist the development was successful and the project was abandoned in 1983.

Poster about the campaign 

I love finding out about local history for the places I visit. It gives a much better sense of place than simply whizzing from one tourist spot to another. I had already formed a sense that there was a strong sense of Breton culture in this area aligned to socialist sympathies - in which working class people were very prepared to fight for their rights and resist things being imposed on them either by big business or the state. There's clearly a spirit of rebellion that lies under the surface of this region.

Before heading back to our gite we made a quick detour to see a couple of restored windmills - located on the edge of a village called Trouguer. This coast would once have been dotted with mills like these but most have disappeared. The oldest dates to around 1830 and has solid stone walls. A smaller recreation of a second partly wooden clad 'candlestick' mill has been rebuilt nearby. Apparently during festivals the mills are still used to grind corn.

Les Moulins de Trouguer

The next morning, havin looked at the map, we decided to drive South towards the small fishing port of Concarneau. It was about 40 minutes by car and we were fortunate to find a free parking space close to the quayside. Concarneau is somewhat unusual in that it contains a town within a town. The modern town surrounds the harbour but built into the water and accessed only by bridge is the old walled mediaeval town with ramparts dating back to the 14th century.

Concarneau

Once inside the walls we climbed up to the ramparts that helped provide a sense of the size and layout of the town. Today most of the activity is oriented towards tourism. There's a fishing museum and a main street of shops and bars and restaurants. 

Views of Concarneau

It didn't take much more than a couple of hours to explore every nook and cranny of the old town so we walked back across the bridge and walked through the streets of modern Concarneau that were strung with bunting and quite colourful but very quiet compared to the tourist hustle and bustle in the old town. We found a lovely cafe for a coffee and after another little wander sat on a bench by the harbour eating a picnic lunch whilst fending of the attentions of an inquisitive gull.

After lunch we decided to move on and drove 20 minutes or so to the village of Pont Aven. We had visited Pont Aven more than 20 years ago and it stuck in the memory. Pont Aven would probably have remained a quiet Breton village but fate brought a change in its fortunes in the 1850's. Numerous artists came to stay in Pont Aven but the most well known was Gauguin. Along with others over the following 50 years the village became a mecca for artists.

When I last visited the village museum was hosting a special exhibition. I can't recall what the anniversary was or why it was special, but somehow the small museum of fine art had managed to assemble numerous well known works of art - many by Gauguin - but also other notable contemporaries. I visited with our eldest daughter Helen and I think we were both amazed at what had been achieved - an exhibition that wouldn't have been out of place in one of the major art galleries anywhere in the world. 

Visiting in 2024 we found that Pont Aven was still as beautiful as I remembered and still celebrating its importance as a centre for artists but the old museum has been replaced by a more modern building but in the same location. We were charged €5 each for admission and whilst the current exhition isn't quite as stellar as the one I saw on my first visit it still featured some wonderful works by Gauguin and other contemporaries.

The river that runs through Pont Aven and the port are particularly beautiful, so after viewing the art we walked along the riverside paths, down to the quayside and back and found ourselves charmed once more by this delighful village. 

Pont Aven

Eventually we tore ourselves away and headed back to our gite af the end of another fabulous day.

Our nearest town was Pont-l'Abbé and the next morning we headed off to see their weekly market. Pont-l'Abbé is not a tourist or seaside town but has a harbour as it is located on an inlet on the southern coast of Finistere. By the time we arrived the market was in full swing and bustling with locals buying food from the numerous stalls. It covered the main square, Place de la Republique, and around the corner took up space on Rue de la Gambetta. We had no particular shopping needs but enjoyed wandering among the stalls and listening to the chatter. We walked down to the quayside and back through the main shopping street before returning to the car to drive a few miles further east to Ile Tudy. Ile Tudy isn't an island - its a little narrow strip of land and the name of a village,a couple of miles long and in places not much more than 100 meters wide jutting out into the sea. On the southern side is a beautiful sandy beach backed by pine trees and at the tip a small village of fishermans cottages. We parked in the shade of the pine trees on the edge of the beach and walked on the soft sand before turning around and heading back towards the village. 

The streets of mainly small stone cottages ended in a square, Place de la Cale, around which were clustered a number of bars and places to eat. Choosing a nautically themed creperie for lunch we each enjoyed another tasty (and generously filled) gallette.

The Beach at Ile Tudy

Place de la Cale, Ile Tudy

Feeling rather stuffed - gallettes can be surprisingly filling - we walked a bit more around the village, admiring the pretty cottages, gave some fuss to a friendly cat along the way, and looked out at the Tourelle des Perdrix ('Partridge Lighthouse) a distinctive black and white chequered former lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour.

Tourelle des Perdrix

An Ile Tudy resident

Cottage in Ile Tudy

Our final stop on the tour of the southern coast of Finistere was the seaside town of Benodet. The western side of the town faces the mouth of the River Odet whilst the south has a long curving bay, with a promenade in front of another fine sandy beach.

The beach at Benodet

We walked along the promenade following it all the way around the bay and around a headland for a mile and a half, until we reached a viewpoint, Pointe Saint Gilles, pausing firstly to buy an ice cream and then for some bird watching - a Stonechat was hopping from post to post in front of us. We then walked back around to the western side of the town with the estuary in view before returning to the car for the drive back to our gite.

The sun was shining brightly on our last full day in Brittany and as we would be moving inland for the remainder of our trip we wanted to make the most of being by the sea. A short drive north saw us arrive in the historic port of Audierne. The port is located at the mouth of the river Le Goyen but away from the port to the south are a sucession of sandy beaches that then give way to a rocky shoreline. 

The beach at Audierne

We parked a mile or so away from the centre and although the beach looked very inviting we decided first of all to walk along the long stone pier - that ends with a lighthouse and then reverse our steps, following the quayside into the centre.

Along the pier information panels provided different insights into 2000 years of history. 

It was a perfect day for a picnic so having walked arrived in the centre and explored  twe picked up a baguette, some cheese and other supplies and took them back to the car. 

Mrs B looking sterotypically French

When travelling we usually we have a picnic bag with plates and cutlery alongside all the other travel essentials (i.e corkscrew and bottle opener) and we popped everying into the bag, drove a mile or so along the coast, walked along the coastal path and found a flat patch of ground. Spreading out a picnic blanket surrounded by brightly coloured daisies we looked out over blue skies and a turquoise sea, eating a feast fit for a king or queen.

Our time in Brittany was now coming to an end so we set off back to our gite to repack, tidy up and plan what to do en route to our next destination: Nantes.